| Inmate Work Programs News Release |
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March 30, 1999: Contact: Nancy DeSouza, Inmate Work Programs (503) 373-7604, ext. 236
Terri Gates, Deschutes National Forest (541) 383-5561
Link to Deschutes Conservation Camp Q&A
Inmates to Live and Work in Deschutes National Forest
One of Oregon´s national forests will soon have new temporary residents . . . inmates.
Because there are no prisons in the area, the U.S. Forest Service asked the Oregon Department of Corrections to bring inmates to the Deschutes National Forest to test the concept of a mobile work camp that might be replicated in other locations throughout Oregon. The "Deschutes Conservation Camp" will house more than 80 minimum-custody inmates in the Deschutes National Forest during an eight-week pilot project to use inmate labor to accomplish work that otherwise would go undone.
"This is a unique partnership between the Oregon Department of Corrections, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Oregon National Guard," says Inmate Work Programs Administrator Michael Taaffe. "Eight 10-man work crews - each supervised by a correctional officer - will work 10-hour days, six days a week."
Inmates´ work will include such labor-intensive projects as noxious weed removal, riparian zone restoration, excess fuel reduction, and tree thinning. Additionally, 20 inmates will be trained in chain saw operations and become certified sawyers.
The inmates will live in insulated federal surplus tents, and will be supervised round-the-clock by correctional officers. Camp support will include a mobile kitchen and food service provided by the Oregon National Guard as part of their training exercises.
"We are excited to be part of this partnership to create solutions on so many levels," says Sally Collins, Forest Supervisor of the Deschutes National Forest. "This is a great example of community-based commitment to corrections. The U.S. Forest Service accomplishes much-needed labor-intensive natural resource work. The inmates get to work to repay their debts to society in tangible, meaningful ways. They will gain a greater understanding of not only the work they are doing but the importance of this work to the larger public land management goals."
The camp area, approximately 30-miles from Bend, will be posted as an inmate work camp and will be off-limits to visitors unless approved in advance by Camp Commander Captain Jeff Forbes. The eight-week pilot is scheduled to begin May 3 and run through June 25.
Oregon´s Constitution, as amended by 1994´s Ballot Measure 17, requires all eligible inmates to participate in work and approved training activities full time. Approximately 750 Oregon inmates are sent out on work crews each day, usually within a 60-mile radius of prisons.
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